...August 2016 is a month that will forever be remembered in the history of the NFL and our country. One man sparked a movement that overtook the National Football League by storm over the next two years. This man being Colin Kaepernick, former super bowl caliber quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, had a message he thought deserved to be in the limelight and at the attention of all U.S. citizens who felt discrimination from people who hold higher positions in the United States. So as of August 14, 2016, Kaepernick began to sit out the national anthem in protest (Sandritter). This led to a snowball effect of wrongful discrimination towards most NFL players because of what they did following the Kaepernick events, how the politics got involved,...
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...oppressed. Later, in a second interview he claimed that police are murdering civilians and getting away with it. He also expressed his distaste for modern law enforcement by wearing socks featuring pigs in police caps, (and still has not received any discipline from the league for wearing impermissible gear). Whether or not anyone agrees with these protests, they should be irrelevant to the NFL, this isn’t a free speech issue as those who support Kaepernick claim. If Kaepernick had protested gays, minorities, or any other ethnic group, he would have been fined and suspended. This topic isn’t an argument on the first amendment. While Congress will make no law infringing on the freedom of speech, however the company you work for, darn well can impose what kind of conduct it expects when you're on company time, while wearing company gear. The NFL, like the NBA, has every right to demand that its players stand and show no disrespect while the national anthem is playing. Those are the reasons why the NFL should not at any point allow, any disrespect to the country's flag, while wearing their...
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...She believes that athletes should be penalized for doing such activities; she considers those who copy the professional league athletes are just trying to gain media attention—as if they do not really understand why they are objecting the anthem. Joey H, twenty-two-year-old African American male who claims to be athletic and a passionate fan of all sports says he wants to actually make a difference in the way that his ethnic group is treated by serving in the United States Army. He feels as if Colin Kaepernick, along with other athletes, are taking an easy route to “finding a solution”. He believes players should not be reprimanded for this type of protest because, although negative to their characters, it does not affect how they...
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...This article by Martina Stewart and Vanessa Romo focuses on Trump criticizing the NFL and ties politics with professional sports. The U.S exists as a country where the citizens have the right to free speech and expression which became extremely limited under British governance. This current debate over sitting or kneeling which has been very divisive for our country. It dates back to 2016 when Colin Kaepernick rejected to stand during the ¨Star-Spangled Banner¨ to protest racial injustice in the U.S. Contrary to Kaepernick intentions, Donald Trump says that kneeling during the anthem is unpatriotic and that anyone who opposes risks losing a job. Amateur and professional athletes alike refuse to stand for the national anthem of a country that...
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...Athletes across the nation are taking a stand… by not standing. After NFL quarterback, Colin Kaepernick kneeled during the “Star Spangled Banner” in 2016, it exploded into a nationwide debate. Since then, many other athletes have also started protesting during the national anthem. The protests have sparked a flurry of both support and opposition, with some praising athletes for being brave enough to publicly take a stand for what is right, and others harshly criticizing athletes and labeling them as brattish and disrespectful. Some have even gone as far as sending death threats. Making it mandatory for athletes to stand may seem like a simple solution, but it comes with its own set of problems. Requiring athletes to stand for the national anthem,...
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...Colin Kaepernick: Conversation Starter or Disrespectful? With the start of the NFL season right around the corner and the baseball playoffs a few weeks away, August is normally a down time in the sports calendar. However, this year has been different. Social media outlets, sports talk show hosts, and even political pundits have been busy covering the San Francisco 49'ers. Not because they are expected to complete for the Super Bowl, or they have a new potential record-setting running back. All of the attention in San Francisco is due to quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s refusal to stand up and "show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color." With that silent protest that happened on Friday August 26,...
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